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Tuesday November 20, 2012 6:11 AM

WASHINGTON — More than a quarter of all veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan don’t have
health insurance and aren’t part of the Department of Veterans Affairs health system, according to
an analysis of VA data.

The rate of lack of insurance among these recent veterans is higher than among those in other
wartime periods, and it’s higher than that among all veterans, raising concerns that veterans
recently back from the wars might not be taking advantage of care to which they are entitled.

Veterans advocates and some lawmakers have pushed to automatically enroll veterans in the VA
health-care system, which could fill in the gap for some veterans not now covered by the VA or the
private market.

“It is critically important that we continue to reach out and inform veterans of the health care
and benefits they have earned through their service to country,” said VA spokesman Josh Taylor.

Veterans who have left combat operations from the recent wars are eligible for VA health care
for five years. After that, they must qualify based on a disability or income-based standards.
Although some veterans can use the VA health system for life, most don’t; of 22 million veterans,
8.6 million are part of the VA’s system, 2011 numbers show.